GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Dana Tosh couldn't be more excited to be recovering in her home after receiving her long awaited kidney.
It was a goal she made while she was in the hospital recovering from an E. coli infection in March, which ended up destroying her kidneys.
During that time in the hospital, she was supposed to be taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of Glacier National Park in Montana.
"That E. coli turned into stuck Hus which will damage kidneys or ruin any kidney function that you have," said Dana.
Just two days after that Cannonsburg feat, Dana got a call from Trinity Health that they had a kidney for her.
But the excitement she felt during that initial phone call was short-lived.
"The surgeon was actually able to physically see the kidney for the first time and came out and said, I have really bad news," said Dana. "It's a bad kidney. I can't use it."
She was sent home in disappointment.
"I let myself be a little frustrated for a day or two," said Dana. "And then I was like, Okay, I have to move on."
Dana patiently waited, again. Then on November 6th, she got the call again.
"I was sixth on the list when they called me and I just didn't know how that could he was going to make it to me being six down the list," said Dana.
After some investigating by the doctors, it was found that the Kidney was perfect.
"I was just through the moon ecstatic," said Dana.
However, the one she received was a kidney donated after death, or a cadaver kidney. Something she isn't taking lightly.
"It's a strange feeling to be grieving with that donor family, even though I don't know them, I know that they're going through a horrible time," said Dana. "And my joy is at their sadness."
No longer on dialysis, Dana is planning on getting back to adventures and traveling, but also wants to pay back her gift of life by advocating for it.
"To know that you can share your loved one's organs with somebody, it 100% changes their life," said Dana. "And I think now that's going to kind of be I want to kind of figure out how I can get more involved in being an advocate for organ donation."
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